Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Thu • Apr 21, 2022 • 8:00 PM

XL Live, Harrisburg, PA

Nearly every Rainbow Kitten Surprise song unfolds in a dizzying rush of words, feverish yet finespun lyrics that feel both intimate as confession and mythic as a fable. Throughout their album How To: Friend, Love, Freefall, the Nashville based five-piece set those lyrics to a thrillingly unpredictable sound that transcends all genre convention, endlessly changing form to accommodate their constant shifts in mood and spirit. But while Rainbow Kitten Surprise push into some complex emotional terrain, the band’s joyful vitality ultimately makes for an album that’s deeply cathartic and undeniably life-affirming.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an alternative rock indie band, featuring lead vocalist Sam Melo, Darrick “Bozzy” Keller (guitar, backup vocals), Ethan Goodpaster (electric guitar), Jess Haney (drums), and Charlie Holt (bass). Members hail from Boone, North Carolina as well as Robbinsville, North Carolina (Jess Haney and Ethan Goodpaster). The music of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, also known as “RKS,” is known for its harmonies, instrumentation and lyrics, and its sound has been influenced by artists Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, Frank Ocean and Schoolboy Q.